Cyclic Living & The Autumn Equinox
"Welcome home
To a calling of your soul’s harvest
And to a moment of rebalancing
Recalibrating and a remembrance
Of equilibrium
As we turn into the shadows of autumn
Surrendering into the warm and familiar arms
Of Mama Earth"
~ words from my journal, 2023
The great wheel turns and here we are again. Cosy season! Welcoming the Autumn Equinox 2023.
The autumn equinox is one of two points in the year where we experience equal day and night. The meaning of the word equinox is ‘equal night’ (equi: equal, nox: night) and they are moments that we can pause to acknowledge the turning of the great wheel, giving thanks for the blessings in our lives, and recalibrating ourselves to a sense of balance.
The autumn equinox in particular is a moment of acknowledgement of the quickly accelerating darkness that comes to shroud us through the shadow half of the year. The darkness serves a reminder for us to slow down and an invitation to retreat inwards. Through the power of the great cycles that govern our many dimensions, worlds and universes, we can acknowledge the darkness as a guide into rest and experiencing a slower pace.
The season of autumn is an invitation to begin to step into a slower pace. Implementing self-care techniques before the darkness fully encases us over the winter. This is a moment of preparation, welcoming balance and preparing for the deep, restful hibernation of winter.
Our ancestors would have spent this time giving, thanks for bountiful harvest, preparing food for the winter months, and beginning to turn inwards both metaphorically, and literally as the darkness guides us into a more contemplative and rested state of mind.
Our modern lifestyles don’t often allow for rest to be taken seriously. We are expected to live in a state of eternal summer, ever productive, ever bountiful, ever fertile, ever creative and with a limitless store of energy - but this is not the natural order of things. We need to rest, to fill our cups, in order to produce our most aligned and creative work and to share freely from a full cup. We need to rest in order to replenish, restore, renew and rebalance our reserves. This is our invitation to go inwards.
Instead of "have I been productive enough to rest?" can we subvert this common narrative to "have I rested enough to offer my most aligned and creative work?"
The equinox can also be an invitation to pause and give thanks for all of the many blessings we experience in our lives. Giving thanks for the harvest of our souls, the bountiful experiences that we have had over the long summer months and offering gratitude for all we are harvesting in this moment. This is a time to take stock and give thanks for all the many, abundant blessings we have.
This can however, also be an invitation for shedding. Just as the trees begin to shed their leaves and let go of the old in order to draw their vital energy inwards to conserve over the winter, we can do much the same. Letting go of what no longer serves our greatest good and releasing the old and the dead in order to conserve what is truly vital.
Reflections for this Autumn Equinox:
~ What am I harvesting the fruits of in my life?
~ What am I shedding or letting go of?
~ What needs to come back into balance?
~ How am I letting myself rest deeply and fully?
~ What self-care tools and techniques am I drawn towards?
Affirmation/Blessing for the Autumn Equinox:
I call on the power of my spirit
I invite in my energy, ancestors and allies
From all corners of the universe
To deeply nourish and support my being
As we move into the darker months of the year
May I be free to express myself authentically
As this inner nourishment supports me, those around me
And the sacred Earth
To find balance on this Autumn Equinox
Within and without
Blessed be